Since his international cricket debut, Rishabh Pant has impressed with his cricketing talent. The young man continued his glory during the Auckland T20I on Friday (8 February), where he guided the team for a crucial victory. In that innings, the left-handed batsman smashed a spectacular one-handed sixer.
That incident happened during the 17th over of Indian innings. The experienced New Zealand pacer Tim Southee was bowling Rishabh Pant at that time when the youngster played that glorious shot. When India needed 21 off 22 balls, Tim Southee delivered a slower ball on the pads to Rishabh Pant. In reply, Rishabh Pant hit that ball powerfully with one hand, and it travelled a long distance for a sixer.
— MS (@premchoprafan) February 8, 2019
After that shot, India quickly reached the target of 159 runs. The visiting side India chased that target in 18.5 overs after losing just three wickets. In this game, Rishabh Pant registered his 2nd highest T20I score as he scored an unbeaten 40 runs off 28 balls (four boundaries and one six).
Earlier in that innings, the stand-in-skipper Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan provided an excellent opening partnership of 79 runs. Rohit Sharma played a brilliant knock of 50 runs off 29 balls while Shikhar Dhawan scored 30 runs. Later, Vijay Shankar scored 14 runs before he was caught out.
After Vijay Shankar’s wicket, Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni guided the visiting side to the victory. Both had a 44 runs partnership for the unbroken fourth-wicket as MS Dhoni was not out on 20 runs. Rishabh Pant successfully finished the game with a boundary.
The New Zealand top-order batsmen failed
Leading the series by 1-0, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson decided to bat first after winning the toss. However, the top-orders had a disappointing start as the hosts were battling on 50/4. Later, Ross Taylor and Colin de Grandhomme played the essential roles in setting for a respectable total for the team.
Ross Taylor and Colin de Grandhomme had a 77-runs partnership for the fifth-wicket. While Colin de Grandhomme scored 50 runs off 28 balls, Ross Taylor played the knock of 42 runs as New Zealand managed to score 158/8 in 20 overs. However, it wasn’t enough for the home team as they lost the game by seven wickets with seven balls remaining. After the end of this game, the three-match T20I series is currently leveled by 1-1 with one to go.